Walk for Your Heart

In May of this year, our family faced a life-changing event. Super-Husband went to the doctor for what we thought was indigestion. It had been bothering him since Monday evening. On Friday morning, he went to the doctor. By noon that Friday, he was being whisked away by ambulance to a local Medical Center. The first report that I received from his primary doctor indicated a mild heart attack. By the time I arrived at the hospital, super-husband was being taken into the Cath Lab. Forty minutes later, the cardiologist informed me that he had an artery that was 100% blocked and they were unable to get a stent through the blockage. Wow! I quickly realized that this "mild" heart attack was in reality a "massive" heart attack, and I was very fortunate that my husband was joking with the nursing staff, breathing, and simply ALIVE!

He spent the next 3 days in the Cardiac ICU going through a battery of tests to determine how much damage had been done to his heart. They concluded that this was likely a second heart attack, because the heart had tried to repair itself by making spider veins around the blockage to get to the heart. Bypass surgery was ruled out at this point because the damage has been done to the heart (from the prior heart attack we did not know about) and was not reversible if blood flow was to get back to that area of the heart. His doctor has been confident with lifestyle changes and medication that Super-husband will be able to have a good quality of life.

Fortunately, Super-husband has a very laid back personality. Did he ever imagine he would be going through this at THIRTY-NINE years old - No! But, he's taken the steps to make a healthier life. We believe family history/genetics is likely a huge factor, but because he was adopted as an infant we know no family history. He was not obese and stayed relatively fit playing spring, summer, and fall church league softball. However, now he is more active exercising at least 3 times a week and playing softball one night a week. He avoids the fast-food drive-thru at lunch and doesn't getting a second helping at home. He takes his medicine diligently - we joke about the "old man" pill box that sits on our bathroom counter.

All of that to stay - GET MOVING!! :o)

We've decided to participate in the Heart Walk at Tanglewood http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=258325 in October and hope that you will join us or support us! He is my reason for walking ...